Ground fitting



Oct. 11, 1938. s. w. BORDEN 2,132,843

I GROUND FITTING Filed Nov. 2, 1956 Fig. 4 fly. .2.

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INVENTOR WWW Patented Oct. 11, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 5 Claim.

This invention has for its object to produce a fitting for connecting an electrical conductor and its protective covering to a ground pipe or other earth electrode and more especially a fitting adapted to accommodate either a relatively large conductor without a protective covering or a smaller conductor and a protective covering, the protective covering being independently secured to the fitting and the fitting being adjustable to accommodate several sizes of ground pipe.

Fig. 1 is a front elevation showing the fitting clamped on a ground pipe and a non-protected conductor clamped to the fitting. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section through the center line of Fig. 1 except that a smaller conductor with a protective covering is shown clamped to the fitting. Fig. 3 is a plan view corresponding to Fig. 2. Fig. 4 shows the upper end of a clamping bolt.

Referring to the drawing, l is a bottom pipe clamp member and 2 is a top pipe clamp member and 3 a water pipe. 4 and 5 are screw threaded members positioned in openings in I and 2 and provided with clamping nuts, 6 and I. 8 is an electrical conductor and 9 a protective covering for an electrical conductor.

The fitting is designed for mounting on a inch, inch or 1 inch, trade size water pipe. The curved surface It! fits on a /2 inch pipe, the curved surface H on a inch pipe and the curved surfaces I 2, l3 and It on a 1 inch pipe. In the present drawing the fitting is applied to a inch pipe. The plates I and 2 remain as shown when applied to a inch pipe but when applied to a 1 inch pipe plate 2 is inverted. It will be seen that regardless of which of the three sizes of pipe is involved there is always at least one clamping surface of the shape and size to fit the pipe and which constitutes an arc of a circle of at least degrees.

In field practice relatively small conductors are protected by a metal armor as 9 while conductors which are No. 4 A. W. G. and larger have no protective covering but such wires are relatively stiff and bulky and substantial means are required to securely attach them to a fitting. When the larger wire is used it is passed through both of the bolts 4 and 5 and may be securely clamped against the plate 2. When a protective covering is used the bolt 5 is made somewhat larger in size and is used for clamping the'protective covering itself against plate 2 while the conductor 8 is clamped against the plate by bolt l. The nuts 6 and I when tightened draw the plates l and 2 securely against the pipe and also clamp the conductor and its covering securely against plate 2.

In order that the covering 9 may be the more securely held in its fastening the portion of plate 2 against which the covering is clamped is formed to conform to the shape of the covering as shown at I5. As shown in' Fig. 4 the bolts 4 and 5 are 5 formed with transverse openings for the reception of the conductor or the conductor covering.

While I have illustrated and described with particularity only a single preferred form of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to the 10 exact structural details thus illustrated and described; but, intend to cover all forms and arrangements which come within the definitions of my invention constituting the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A fitting for connecting an electrical conductor to a ground pipe which includes a pair of a rigid clamping plates arranged for relatively straight line movement to and from each other, the plates having opposed projecting members on m each side of the pipe, the projecting members having aligned apertures, threaded bolts positioned in the apertures, transverse openings through the bolts for the reception of the conductor, and threaded nuts on the bolts which 35 when tightened clamp the conductor against. one of the plates and clamp the plates on the pipe.

2. A fitting for attaching an electrical conductor and its protective covering to a ground pipe which includes a pair of rigid plates for seating 3 against the pipe the plates having projecting portions extending on either side of the pipe, the projecting portions having aligned apertures, bolts positioned in the apertures and extending above and below the plates, one of the bolts hav- 35 ing a transverse opening in the portion above the plate for the reception of a conductor and the other bolt having a transverse opening in the portion above the plate for the reception of the conductor covering and nuts on the bolts below 40 the plates for clamping the plates on the pipe and for clamping the conductor and the conductor covering against the plate.

3. A fitting for connecting an electrical conductor to a pipe which includes a pair of clamp- 45 ing plates arranged for relatively straight line movement toward each other and a threaded bolt and nut on each side of the pipe and associated with corresponding ends of the plates for drawing the plates toward each other, one of said bolts 50 having a lateral opening for the reception of the conductor and the nut of which, when tightened, clamps the plates on the pipe and clamps the conductor to one of the plates.

, 4. A fitting for connecting an electrical con- 5 ductor and its protective covering to a pipe which includes; a pair or clamping plates arranged for relatively straight line movement toward each other and threaded bolts associated with corresponding ends of the plates and threaded members associated with the bolt threads which, when tightened, serve to clamp the plates on the pipe with the conductor clamped to the fitting by one threaded member and the conductor protective covering clamped to the fitting by the other threaded member.

5. A fitting for connecting an electrical conductor to a ground pipe which includes a pair of rigid metal clamping plates embracing the pipe ing the conductor to the fitting and a bolt posi-' tioned in the other pair of aligned apertures, the bolt being fitted with a nut for drawing the plates toward each other and means associated with .said bolt and nut for attaching the conductor covering to the fitting.

STEPHEN W. BURDEN. 

